1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to seats for pets and more specifically to an improved pet seat or bed for holding a pet in a secure position in a vehicle and which may also be utilized as a pet bed in locations other than a vehicle and also may be utilized for carrying a pet.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many seats for pets which may be utilized in vehicles for transporting the pets have heretofore been described and/or offered for sale. Many such devices were the same as or similar to booster seats for children. Some of the prior art pet seats were specifically designed for pets rather than children and which recognized the needs of the pet rather than the child. In many of the prior art pet seats for vehicles the seat itself was not attached to the seat or back of the vehicle seat in a secure fashion or else required modification to the vehicle seat/back for securing the pet seat. Such modifications were often expensive and difficult to install in a vehicle. Still other vehicle pet seats did not provide for or allow the pet, when positioned in the seat, to have the visibility of the surroundings that many pets, such as dogs, desire when in a vehicle. Still other prior art pet seats have nave had mechanical structures incorporated therein which increases the cost and complexity of such pet seats. Further, some prior art pet seats did not provide for adequately and safely securing the pet into the seat as well as securing the seat in the vehicle.
Since the advent of various seat belt configurations installed in motor vehicles it is desirable from a safety and economy consideration to utilize such seat belts for securing the pet seat in the vehicle. The design of the conventional seat belt often utilized in vehicles generally consists of shoulder harness incorporated into a single seat belt arrangement which provides the functions of both a lap belt and the shoulder harness. Such seat belts, while useful for restraining humans, are not adaptable for directly securing or restraining pets.
It is desirable to have the pet seat incorporate structure for securing the pet in the pet seat by utilizing an attachment to the conventional collar/harness of the pet. In some of the prior art pet seats the vehicle seat belt structure was utilized to restrain the pet seat but at least some portions of the vehicle seat belt structure were in regions accessible to the pet. In such prior art pet seats, the pet could chew on the securing vehicle seat belt structure thereby weakening the seat belt and thus impairing its safety function.
In the case of any motion of the vehicle inducing rapid changes in acceleration such as sudden stops, accidents and the like, it is desired that the pet seat provide a cushioning effect in the sides, front, back as well as a cushioned seat upon which the pet may sit and or lie down.
Since many pets desire to look in the direction of travel, it is desirable to have the pet seat designed so that the forward vision of the pet while in the pet seat is minimally obscured and yet the forward portion of the pet seat still providing cushioning for the pet.
The structure of the pet seat should be complementary to and inter-engaging with the design of seats in vehicles. At the present time, many vehicle seats and seat backs are designed to have upright cushioning ridges at the edges of both the seat and the back. Thus, it is desirable that the pet seat have structure to accommodate these ridges, and yet still be compatible with older style substantially flat bench seats and backs often used in vehicles.
In some of the prior art pet seats, complicated and costly rigid mechanical arrangements or other rigid structures have been incorporated into the seat design. Such rigid structures could injure the pet and/or add cost to the manufacture of the pet seat. It is desirable that the pet seat be free of the rigid mechanical structures or components so that the cost of the pet seat and safety of the pet are provided.
The prior art pet seats have not been able to provide these desiderata.